CEI Founder on Global Warming: ‘It Looks Pretty Good…We’re Moving To A More Benign Planet.’
CEI Founder on Global Warming: ‘It Looks Pretty Good…We’re Moving To A More Benign Planet.’
Josh Marshall linked to our earlier post on the Competitive Enterprise Institute – a front group funded by big oil – and their attack on Al Gore’s new movie. Josh mentioned he remembered that CEI’s founder, Fred Smith, was on Crossfire years ago talking about how “global warming was actually a good thing because of all the cool new crops we could grow.”
Here’s the transcript from Crossfire, 3/27/92:
Mr. SMITH: Look, the point- what we do know and don’t know, we know that carbon dioxide is increasing. We know carbon dioxide is a plant fertilizer which is a positive benefit to the peoples of the world. We know that there are these elaborate computer models that have never been right before, may be right this time, that suggest climate changes, possibly good, possibly bad. Most of the indications right now are it looks pretty good. Warmer winters, warmer nights, no effects during the day because of clouding, sounds to me like we’re moving to a more benign planet, more rain, richer, easier productivity to agriculture-
KINSLEY: Wait a minute.
Mr. SMITH: We’re basically to a world now that’s a lot closer to heaven than hell.
Here’s a summary of the real consequences of global warming from climatecrisis.net:
To learn more about the real impact of global warming, make sure to see An Inconvenient Truth.
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By his logic we should also nuke Texas,
Just think of all the cool new X-Men we could have.
May 17th, 2006 at 4:57 pmIt’s hard to get moldering corpses to eat all those cool new crops.
May 17th, 2006 at 4:59 pmDoesn’t Al Gore realize that the rapture is on the way and he has no right to play God and try to stop it? These damn do-good secularists just can’t mind their own business and let the world end on the Biblically designated time frame. I hate when that happens! Al, back off!
See my tongue-in-cheek visual depiction of “Al Gore: The Rapture Wrecker” here:
http://www.thoughttheater.com
May 17th, 2006 at 4:59 pmThe sad truth of this is that Joe Average American really doesn’t think a rise of a couple of degrees in temperature is a big deal. The rapture is coming anyway, so… you know, it’s all in God’s hands anyway…
May 17th, 2006 at 5:01 pmIf you live in Bizarro World this would make sense. Or he purchased one of those Corporate Global Warming Survival Suits.
May 17th, 2006 at 5:03 pmI cannot resist dusting off this oldie…especially given today’s (excuse pun) climate.
Excellent work digging this up. I used to watch the old Kinsley/Novak version of Crossfire…but never would have recalled this! Excellent recall and research!
Study: Euthanizing Right-wing Pundits would Solve Global Warming
Author says that would be reprehensible, but still a tough call.
May 17th, 2006 at 5:03 pm#4 They might notice when Disneyworld turns into Waterworld…..
May 17th, 2006 at 5:05 pmThat’s really FUNNY! Is this guy looking at a second career? He could do stand-up. He might have a little problem finding living bodies to put in the audience, but I’m sure he can tape himself and have a real laugh later in the bunker!
May 17th, 2006 at 5:06 pmMy biggest complaint is the increase in bad weather, each year it gets windier and windier which means harder and harder to toss a frisbee. thats the real issue here.
May 17th, 2006 at 5:09 pm#9 – harder and harder to toss a frisbee. thats the real issue here.
Comment by squegeeboo
You’re making it easier for me to toss my cookies, Squeegy. ;)
May 17th, 2006 at 5:17 pm“Carbon Dioxide is a plant fertilizer” – like the only thing holding back the growth of plantlife is a lack of CO2. Not soil, not nutrients, not temperature, not sunlight – it’s CO2 that drives plant growth. Why don’t greenhouses have CO2 generators installed in them, since CO2 is such a magic plant-growth tonic.
May 17th, 2006 at 5:19 pmI remember from my Earth Science that plants inhale carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen. But I also know that if there is too much carbon dioxide in the area where you’re trying to breathe, you’ll suffocate. At what point would all this excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere cause us all to suffocate? Or would it have to get much, much higher before that happened? Just asking.
May 17th, 2006 at 5:53 pmif smith can twist global climate change into something good because ‘the earth is getting warmer, and warmth is good” I wonder how he treats real economic issues such as growth and deficits,, which are much more complex? for example, how would smith spin this?
probably the same way that the White House does, and everything else
May 17th, 2006 at 6:06 pmSANTO,
UNCLE JOHN HAS A LONG MUSTACHE.
May 17th, 2006 at 6:36 pmI think Ted Kaczinsky has been access to the internet again…
May 17th, 2006 at 6:43 pmMaybe the CEI founder literally meant that they’re moving to a more benign planet, once they ruin Earth.
Santo, people would take you more seriously if you were a bit more coherent, less all-caps. I know you’ve been here plenty of times, how can you say that about Wayne?
May 17th, 2006 at 6:45 pmTed, this is a climate change thread, let’s talk about DU and MK-77 elsewhere.
Is your real name Genna Stoned? Or Perhaps Stan Dong Neen? Degann Stone?
May 17th, 2006 at 6:56 pmCaps lock is usually found on the left hand side of the key board – marked ‘caps lock’
May 17th, 2006 at 6:59 pmSteed Gannon?
May 17th, 2006 at 7:00 pm17
The Chair is Against the Wall, The Chair is Against the Wall
May 17th, 2006 at 7:04 pm#29, I am not an American, I am a turtle. I can’t talk and typing is hard.
May 17th, 2006 at 7:07 pm#29 A) I don’t use weapons. I believe in solving conflicts peacefully, and
B) Your links have nothing to do with the topic of this thread which is Global Warming and the efforts of some to deny both that it is happening and that its effects could be catastrophic.
May 17th, 2006 at 7:08 pm29,
Yeah I agree non-lethal weapons such as that are a waste of time. With the amount they spent on research they could have bought plenty of grenades and bullets.
May 17th, 2006 at 7:10 pmSanto – STOP YELLING ALL THE TIME
May 17th, 2006 at 7:20 pmNO WONDER YOUR POSTS GET DELETED
THEY’RE HARD TO READ
MY GRANDMA TYPES LIKE THIS
WHERE’S MY SAUCE?
I’m just glad we’re finally correcting that massive carbon shortage in our atmosphere.
May 17th, 2006 at 7:41 pmTed, you will find that yelling, the name-calling and the incoherence drown out whatever content you are trying to put in your post. Over on Haloscan you get regularly excised for “too much profanity, too little comprehension”. Until that changes, I can’t think of a valid reason for wasting time reading your posts.
And I don’t get paid for this – turtles don’t need money. I knew a moray eel that was like you, rushing in, electrifying the immediate vicinity so that everyone’s fins stood out on end – it added nothing to whatever was going at the time, just pissed everyone off.
May 17th, 2006 at 7:46 pmI AM TEH SERIUS! WHERES MY LITHEUM DAMMIT!
May 17th, 2006 at 7:53 pmREED ALL MY GENEUS, GRAMMBRAINS!
SANTA’S GONADS? or can we just call you RED CHRISTMAS BALLS.
May 17th, 2006 at 8:08 pmSanto why don’t you go and talk to the walls again, they seem tomunderstand you and you don’t seem to annoy them either……at least they have not told you to go away yet….
May 17th, 2006 at 8:09 pmPoor Santo nobody wants to play with the blog idiot just like the town idiot that got lost in the white house and pretends to be pResident, maybe it is because both try and dominate the discussion with their illogical ideas and slander those who do not agree…………..why don’t you try and go talk to the other idiot, maybre the two of you could hit it off and the rest of us would soooo much the happier for it.
May 17th, 2006 at 8:25 pmExxonMobil spends 300 million on propaganda outlets like the CEI and the API…not only that, the same banks and funds that control the oil majors tend to be the ones that control the media majors like Disney, etc. So how much do they pay to try and dominate internet conversation? How about those new marketing schemes in bars – send Miss Home State beauty queen around with your business card …Only in this case it’s the lack of attractiveness that counts for effect, like farting in a crowded elevator, and then joking about it. Just a random thought on the modern media message massage, manipulation and management mentality.
Anyhow, instead of proposing $100 checks for all, or an additional tax on gas sales at the pump, wouldn’t now be a good time to get rid of those multibillion-dollar ‘oil depletion’ tax breaks for the fossil fuel sector? They can afford to pay their own way by now without government assistance, can’t they? Wouldn’t that money be better spent on energy conservation and renewables? Look at these corporate welfare slobs – they have a big color TV and eat out every night, and we’re working two jobs just to make ends meet!
May 17th, 2006 at 8:41 pmSanto up the meds they seem not to have the desired effect.
May 17th, 2006 at 8:52 pmSanto how about just trying your own ideas and sssshhhhh all night
May 17th, 2006 at 8:59 pmHillel wrote
May 17th, 2006 at 9:54 pm
\Santo been there done that even got a t shirt…ssshhh your self and go to the self-delusional web sites they agree with ya
May 17th, 2006 at 9:57 pmCan we block Santo’s IP address?
May 17th, 2006 at 10:56 pmStooges that work for and defend the Oil Industry should be executed by firing squads!
May 17th, 2006 at 11:00 pmSanto, do you think you’re helping the progressive cause by being nuts?
You’re giving Bill O’Reilly fodder.
May 17th, 2006 at 11:03 pmSanto ate too much lead based paint as a child or even now considering it’s rantings….
May 17th, 2006 at 11:29 pmWhile we’re looking into carbon dioxide emmissions, let us not forget our favorite beverages: soda pop and beer.
Does anyone know of any studies that show how much carbon dioxide is put into the atmosphere from sodas and beer? And, yes, I’m being serious here.
May 18th, 2006 at 12:13 amSanto,
I am not a lawyer, just a law-school graduate. Even if I were a lawyer, this is not the proper forum for giving legal advise. With whom would I be forming an attorney-client relationship – a fictitious name on an internet board? Besides, where would I send the bill for the time it takes me to research your questions? :-)
Please stop using all caps…it comes across as yelling at us. I don’t like being yelled at, even if I agree with the points being made. How you say something is as important as what you say. I tend to gloss over posts, from you or anyone else, that are in ALL CAPS. They’re just too hard to read, and by the time I get home from work, there are sometimes between 100 and 200 posts I scan through.
You can get my attention with well-reasoned articles, but not with ones written in all capitol letters.
May 18th, 2006 at 12:44 amThis quote:
reminds me of this quote:
What’s next? Perhaps we’ll see these headlines soon:
May 18th, 2006 at 12:54 am
Freddie Smith is a friggin bozo..god how does that jackass make it through the week with his logic and bs?
May 18th, 2006 at 4:54 amPeople, people, people
We are so selfish. Global Warming, . . . .please. I swear, can we quit dancing around the obvious. The Earth has been around quite a long long long long time, agreed? Pretty old, eh? It’s been through the greatest of climate changes, been smacked in the face my world crushing asteriod impacts, and seen countless spiecies rise and fall. The human race is considered in its infancy compared to that time line, right? I’m starting to see the human race, as a whole, acting like the spoiled child that it is. I think we need to redifine this as “Human Warming”. The Earth can take anything we dish out to it. It will still be here even if we destroy ourselves and it will do just fine. Maybe a more peaceful spiecies that is more compatible with its environment will arise from our ashes and see our mistakes of poisoning ourselves and some other creatures to extinction, and not make those selfish mistakes.
Another term I like is “Money Warming”. I would like to stand up and tell you that “Hello, I am a human being, and I’m addicted to money”, except there is no AA for money addiction. Yes, I know I need to live, and money seems to be the way that humans have set up their set of values, customs, religions and ways of life, but I feel it is the root of all evil things done, ranging from geniocide to climate damage to the simpilest street crime. Why are energy companies reluctant to find clean energy? The President himself has said in so many words that it would cost too much and many people would loose their jobs. If money were not the driving force behind everything, then I think a lot of good could be done.
The human race is spoiled, and likes its money and things (As I freely admit, I do too). Unfortunately I will not be around to see if we evolve out of our infancy and develop a love of ourselves and environment and not our things, but I have hope. I see it in a lot of people, not the whole yet, but a lot of people.
When we are young, usually the thing we hate doing most is cleaning our room. Our parents want us too because it is not a good environment to be in. There are things spilled, old food, dirty clothes (A lot of stuff that will make us sick). But, the structural integrity of the room is just fine and will always be solid. The Earth is our room, and it is getting messy. We are starting to make ourselves sick. Unfortunately humans do not have parent to yell at us to clean it. We are an orphan with a lopsided consience. The funny thing is though, when young, and we are done with the chore of cleaning our room (not just everything under the bed), we like it. There is order, we can think clearer, we like looking at it. I think the human race will benefit in the same way if our consience ever decides it’s the best thing to do and not just for the money.
“Global Warming”. PAH! “Human and Other Species Killing” more like.
May 18th, 2006 at 10:38 amWhile we’re at it, let’s talk about the GOOD things that come out of child labor, genocide, human slavery and epidemics!
May 18th, 2006 at 10:49 amVote Republican: Because the Earth has been habitable long enough.
May 18th, 2006 at 11:00 amIt’s funny. Everyone commenting on Santo’s craziness — but no Santo! How refreshing!
May 18th, 2006 at 11:22 amIt’s funny. Everyone commenting on Santo’s craziness — but no Santo! How refreshing!
Comment by Zookeeper — May 18, 2006 @ 11:22 am
They were removed. She’s currently ranting about it in Think Fast. It would be funny if it isn’t so sad and obnoxious.
May 18th, 2006 at 11:26 am#16 don’t laff. I think you may be on to something there.
May 18th, 2006 at 1:11 pm[...] And not only will we have more of our friend carbon dioxide, but global warming could actually be a good thing because of all the cool new crops we could grow! Wow! I’m going to start buying barrels of oil and burn them in my yard every day! [...]
May 18th, 2006 at 2:53 pm[...] And not only will we have more of our friend carbon dioxide, but global warming could actually be a good thing because of all the cool new crops we could grow! Wow! I’m going to start buying barrels of oil and burn them in my yard every day! [...]
May 18th, 2006 at 2:53 pm[...] Let’s see, what else… the “Competitive Enterprise Institute” (funded by ExxonMobil, the American Petroleum Institute, Cigna Corporation, Dow Chemical, et al) has released some really funny ads to fight “global warming alarmism”. CEI’s founder Fred Smith said about global warming a couple years ago, “Most of the indications right now are it looks pretty good. Warmer winters, warmer nights, no effects during the day because of clouding, sounds to me like we’re moving to a more benign planet, more rain, richer, easier productivity to agriculture.” Heh. [...]
May 18th, 2006 at 3:37 pmThe claims made by the CEI are incredibly ignorant of the science on this question. Increased CO2 levels do create the potential for more plant growth, but beyond a certain point the potential for plant life to sequester the gas is maximized and growth is limited by other factors, such as water availability, soil nutrient content, or genetics. The benefits obtained from increased atmospheric CO2 would therefore be negligible. In fact, beyond this point, further increases in atmospheric CO2 and surface temperatures would throw off the delicate balance required for a successful growing season. In the northeastern US, for example, global warming has already become a major factor in the decline of maple sugar production as well as decreased production of fruits grown in the area (apples, peaches, etc.). Combine these not-so-welcome changes in the growth cycle of crops with the increased likelihood of extreme weather phenomena (droughts, floods, hurricanes) and the spread of insects, weeds and other pests with warmer temperatures, and you end up with a world that is much less conducive to sustainable agricultural productivity.
May 20th, 2006 at 1:39 pm[...] “Most of the indications right now are it looks pretty good. Warmer winters, warmer nights, no effects during the day because of clouding, sounds to me like we’re moving to a more benign planet, more rain, richer, easier productivity to agriculture.” [Fred Smith, CEI, 3/27/92] [...]
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